Sport Business Club: “We have the biggest network of sporting pros in Europe”

The ESSEC Alumni Sport Business Club contains more than 800 alumni. Olivier Cantet (E87), President, and Mélanie Aubert (E21), events manager, tell us more about this extensive ecosystem, and their work to keep it running. 

ESSEC Alumni: What are the profiles of Sport Business Club members? 

Mélanie Aubert: We target alumni involved in the sports industry in the broadest sense: federations, clubs, infrastructure like stadiums, sports centres like gyms, as well as equipment manufacturers, specialist media, agencies specialising in sponsoring and sporting events, not to mention a few public bodies and leisure-adjacent players like ski resorts and e-sports.

Olivier Cantet: We definitely have the best community for sporting professionals in France, if not in Europe. We’re in the same league as Cambridge and Oxford!

EA: How do you leverage this expertise? 

O. Cantet: We strive to promote the ESSEC brand in the sporting world, and shine the spotlight on our alumni working in the industry. We do this primarily by highlighting them in our media and communications... 

M. Aubert: … then by organising events where they can get together and share their experience. To that end, every month we host expert panels for webinars covering market trends. And as the pandemic eases, we will be able to pad out this programming (which we will also maintain) with face-to-face conferences with well-known figures, alongside events like the Roland Garros, the Tour de France, and even the Olympic Games, in partnership with the Sports Chair.

EA: What links do you maintain with ESSEC and its students?  

O. Cantet: Karoline Strauss, the professor currently holding the Sports Chair, plays an active role in our club. She provides us with access to her network, her academic research, and her connections with sporting institutions, and she facilitates contact between students and graduates.

M. Aubert: Our graduates support students drawn to a career in sports. Some provide mentoring, others teach classes or support groups in their practical exercises.

EA: What are your plans for the Sport Business Club? 

M. Aubert: We are planning a digital forum on careers in sport, using the format of the careers in the energy transition forum recently held by the Transition Club. The idea is both to provide opportunities to alumni in the sector and encourage those who haven’t yet made the leap. This aim is in line with one of ESSEC Alumni’s core beliefs: that whatever your passion there are other alumni who share it and can help you make it a reality.

O. Cantet: We are working with ESSEC to plan a course for athletes, whether they are at the beginning of their sporting career for those who would like to continue their education, or for those at the end of their career looking to retrain.

RM: How can our alumni support your work?

O. Cantet: We are looking for volunteers to form a team of 4-5 alumni to take the lead on our various initiatives. Feel free to contact me by email at olivier.cantet@essec.edu!

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